American tennis player Jessica Pegula (left) and Alex Eala. Photos from Pegula and Eala's respective Instagram accounts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — World No. 3 and top seed Jessica Pegula faces Alex Eala in the final of the Mubadala DC Open on Sunday after defeating Diana Shnaider, 7-5, 6-4, in the semifinals.
During her post-match press conference, she spoke at length about what it is like to share a tournament with the Filipino phenomenon.
"It's crazy. There are people out there all waiting for her," Pegula said.
“I think it's awesome for the sport. She's able to draw these crowds and she's not even a top-5 player yet. I've seen it at all the tournaments we've been at this year. She's usually on a bigger court because they have to put her on a bigger court. Usually you hear the crowd from every single court around her."
Pegula recalled being completely caught off guard by it the first time she played Eala — at the Miami Open.
"This was before people really knew her that much. I'm an American. I'm in Miami. We're in the semis. I live in South Florida. I was just like, who are these people? What is going on? Where did all these fans come from? I don't understand what's happening," she said, laughing.
“Now looking back, it's gotten even crazier, and it makes complete sense. But I just remember being in that match and being completely confused."
READ: Alex Eala through to DC Open finals after beating Naomi Osaka
She even recalled hearing the Filipino fans from her hotel room at another tournament.
"I remember in Dubai I could hear it from my hotel room because it's very close to the courts," she said.
“Any way to get people into tennis — I think it's really neat."
On the court itself, Pegula was candid about what makes Eala tricky to play, particularly her serve
"I think it helps that she's a lefty. Lefties can get away with a little bit more because we're just not used to seeing the ball come that direction as often," Pegula said.
"With her specifically, it stays so low. It's hard to attack. The ball is kind of below the net and you're having to hit up on it. Any time you have to do that, it can be really tricky."
She said the serve becomes even more dangerous on fast surfaces.
"I think she's probably better on hard court or grass where it's very hard to attack. I remember in Miami I just didn't know — should I go for it more and risk giving her free points, or do I just start the point? You really have to use your legs, get up, and trust it."
Pegula said she has been watching Eala closely since their Miami meeting and acknowledged the Filipino has grown significantly as a player since then.
"Everyone has a little more of a grip on how she plays now. I think I'll be a little more open-minded going in," she said. "I've been watching her ever since Miami and she's gotten a lot better — more experienced, playing really good tennis. I think there are some things I'm going to try to implement. I'm not sure it's going to work, but there are definitely some things."
She also noted that playing a left-hander in the semifinals may help her adjust to Eala's spin.
"It probably helps that I played a lefty today. Hopefully that helps with being used to the serve and the spin coming the other direction. We'll see."
As for facing a near-hostile crowd on home soil, Pegula took it in stride with one small hope.
"I'm just going to do what I usually do, which is pretty much tune everybody out. But maybe having her on our podcast, they'll be a little bit nicer to me. Maybe I gained a little bit of Filipino love. I'll try to use that to my advantage," she said.
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